Annatoria Charakupa (49) lives with her husband and their eight children in Goromonzi District in the Mashonaland East province. She is a smallholder farmer and a member of a Seed Study Group under the Zimbabwe Seed Sovereignty Programme (ZSSP) where she works closely with ZSSP partner, Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre (FPC). Through working with FPC, Annotaria has realized the benefits of farm saved seeds.
“I like farm-saved seeds because they are readily available and do not require fertilisers and chemicals which are expensive to procure. Farm-saved seeds have diversity and are cheap to produce. My family is now able to enjoy ‘ndiroyakazara’ (a wholesome plate),” says Annatoria.
Annatoria is producing several varieties of groundnuts, cow peas and bambara nuts. She also grows amaranth, pumpkins and different varieties of millet, maize and sorghum.
Having been enslaved to the formal seed system and food production system, Annatoria is excited and looking forward to enjoying the full benefits of seed and food sovereignty. She intends on shifting completely from hybrid varieties to farm-saved varieties - a move that will strengthen her family’s food, nutrition and income security.
“I have realised that finger millet and other small grains are pest and disease tolerant and they are also able to withstand long periods of dry spells. I am slowly weaning myself off the hybrid seeds which I intend to do and look forward to in the next one or two seasons,” says Annatoria.
Annatoria has high hopes for the future role of farm-saved seeds and their uptake among the youth people of Zimbabwe.
“In the future, I see the next generation having no need to depend solely on hybrid seeds. Every household will be having a seed banks and the young generation will be consuming small grains. They will be lured by innovative marketing and branding of traditional foods,” says Annnatoria.
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